No Joke
by PsychoNinjaWolf
Summary: "Seriously, what's the worst that could happen?" He frowned at his reflection in the mirror. "She could toss you out the window, send you to another dimension, squish you like a bug," "Gyahh, Cy!" Beast Boy asks Raven out and she is not amused.


"OK BB, you can do this," Beast Boy said as he gave his mirror self a look of determination, "Just knock on her door and ask her if she wants to go out for pizza."

"Dude, that's a horrable idea. What if she's not hungery?" His determination faltered a moment before returning. "Then I ask if she wants to catch a movie or something. . . or anything!" He waved his hands around.

"Seriously, what's the worst that could happen?" He frowned at his reflection in the mirror.

"She could toss you out the window, send you to another dimension, squish you like a bug,"

"Gyahh," the changling jumped at the intruding voice, turning in midair and bracing himself against the sink.

He locked eyes with a very amussed half robot.

"Dude! You 'bout gave me heart attack!"

Cyborge laughed, "Next time you try and give yourself a pep talk in the mirrior, you might wanna shut the bathroom door."

Beast Boy folded his arms in a huff, "Noted."

"Come on man, I'm just messin' with you," he ruffled the changlings forest green hair.

"Yeah, I know," Beast Boy chuckled and swat his hand away.

"Now, come on," Cyborg started as he dragged him out of bathroom by his shoulder, "Rob and Star are out for a few more hours and Rae-Rae is all alone in her room. Now is the perfect time to ask her out."

Beast Boy panicked at his words and dug his heels into the carpet to stop, "What?! No, I can't!"

Cyborg released him and arched a brow, "Wheren't you just hyping yourself up to do this five seconds ago?"

"Yeah but," he hesitated, "I don't know," he shrugged helplessly, "It's a stupid idea. I mean, there's no way Raven likes me like that. She'd never say yes."

"You won't know unless you try. It's not gonna kill you," he said and shoved him down the rest of the hall.

Beast Boy stumbbled to a stop and watched has Cyborg shot him a thumbs up before ducking around the corner. He sighed nervously and turned towards her door, "He _does_ realise this is _Raven_ we're talking about, right?"

"Well, here goes nothing," he whispered to himself as he rapped gentaly on her door.

"Beast Boy," she greeted him as the door slid open. He immediately noted that her hood was down. Her hair had grown just a few short inches and the left side of it was tucked behind her ear. Her amethyst eyes were bright and slowly narrowing in suspicion. He realised that if he didn't say something quick she would more than likely slid the door in his face.

"Uhh, I was wondering if you wanted to go get some pizza?" he asked with a nervous grin.

She arched an eyebrow, "Just us?"

"Uhh, yes?" He stated with a questioning undertone.

Her eyes slid down the length of the hall before narrowing at him again, "Like a date?"

"Uhh, yes?" He repeated. His heart felt like it was slowly sinking down into the pit of his stomach.

"No," she said and backed up a fraction to slide her door shut.

"Wait!" He shot his hand out to stop the door from closing. "Come on," he pleaded, "Just one little date and if you don't like it then we can pretend it never happened."

She frowned and glared at him agian, "No."

"Can you at least tell me why?" He asked desperatly.

"Because I'm not stupid," she seethed.

The heart that was trying to make a home in his stomach slapped back up into his chest with a pounding ache as he slowly let his hand off the door for it to finish sliding shut. Part of him knew she would turn him down, expected it even. He just didn't realize how much it would hurt.

"I told you it was a stupid idea," he mummble to his robotic friend as he past him in the hall.

Cyborg looked like he was the one who had just had his heart borken. He opened his mouth to say something but Beast Boy cut him off, "I'll be in my room if you need me."

He knew Cyborg just wanted to help, but he just wanted to be alone.

* * *

Raven floated back up to sit in the lotus position above her bed, trying to regain her concentration for meditation when another knock sounded on her door.

"What," she ground out in irritation.

"It's me, open up," Cyborg stated from the otherside.

She sighed and rolled her eyes heavenward before floating back down to her floor. She pulled her hood up and then open the door.

Cyborg was glaring down at her, "You know, Raven. You didn't have to be so cruel about it."

Raven found herself scoffing at his words, "Cruel would've been putting you threw a few walls before tossing you _both_ into the bay. I'm not falling for you're lame prank."

She folded her arms and glared at him. She figured she was letting them off easy.

Cyborg stared at her for a full five seconds before his brow crinckled in confusion, "Raven, this wasn't a joke."

She rolled her eyes, unbelieving, "Right."

"What makes you think this was a prank?"

"Beast Boy asking _me,_ of all people, out on a date with you hidding around the corner. I don't care if it was a dare, a prank, or a joke. I'm not an idiot."

"Raven," Cyborg groaned as he slapped his hand to his face. "This was not a joke. The little guy genuinly likes you. You should've seen him trying to hype himself up in the mirror to come and ask you out before I pushed him to actually do it."

Raven stared at him in confusion as her brain tried to process the information, "It wasn't a joke?" She asked weakly.

He shook his head in the negitive.

It was her turn to face palm. No wonder Cyborg had thought she was being cruel. When she said she wouldn't go out with him because she wasn't stupid, she had meant, stupid enough to fall for their prank, not that she wasn't stupid enough to date the changling.

"Maybe I am an idiot," she mumbled to herself as she pushed past the cybernetic teen.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Apparantly to apologize," she said as she made her way down the hall, missing the smile that split his face.

She just couldn't understand how this wasn't a joke. Maybe it still was and Cyborg was just a really good actor. She would make herself look like a fool for apologizing, they'd have a good laugh, and she'd have to toss them out the window. She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. No, Cyborg wasn't _that_ good of an actor and she did feel some stong negative emotions from the changling when she closed the door on him.

She almost felt guilty but quickly pushed it to the side. If they would quit with their immature pranks then she wouldn't assume that everthing that came from them was a joke. They were as much to blame for this misunderstanding as she was. She still couldn't fathom why he had asked her out though. It would've made more sense if it were a prank.

Dispealling her wondering thoughts, she quickly knocked on his door.

"I don't feel like talking about it right now, Cy!" He shouted from the otherside.

Raven frowned, "I'm not Cyborg."

She heard a squeak and thud, followed by some shuffling and another thud before a deshelved looking Beast Boy appeared with the sliding of the door.

"Raven," he greeted in surprise before glancing around nerviously, "Uh, is there something you needed?"

She could tell he was uncomfortable with the situation. She couldn't really blame him. After all, she did just unknowingly reject him.

"I wanted to apologize," she started but stopped when his eyes snapped up to glare at her.

"I get it. You don't like me the same way I like you. I don't want your pity. So, if thats all, then you can go now," he turned and waved a dismissive hand as he walked further into his room.

"No wait," she slide into the room before the door could slide shut on her, "You don't understand."

He turned his head to look back at her skeptically and it was her turn to glance around the room uncomfortably. Speaking of room, she vaguely realized that this was the first time she's been in here since he cleaned it out and rearranged it a few months ago. The bunk beds had been replaced with a queen sized bed and he now had a bookself and a computer desk. The deep purple comforter on his bed looked hastily straightened and it had a haphazardly stacked pile of comics on one corner.

She sighed and took a seat on the opposite corner, "I thought it was a joke. I didn't know you were serious."

"Raven," he started and dragged his desk chair over to sit on front of her, "Why would you think I was joking?" He asked in concern.

She crossed her arms and raised a challanging brow, "Why would you pull half of the imature pranks that you usually do?"

He frowned and she scoffed, "Besides, with Cyborg hidding around the corner, what was I suposed to think?"

"Fair point," he said and remembered the way her eyes slid down the hall to Cyborgs hiding spot before trying to shut the door in his face.

"I may pull some stupid pranks occasionally but I would never toy with anyones feelings like that, Raven."

She could see the sincerity shinning in his eyes and it brought back more of her unanswered quiestions and before she knew it, she had blurted out a confused, "Why?"

He stared at her for moment and tilted his head in confusion, "Because it's wrong and hurtful."

"No," she shook her head, "I wasn't questioning your ethics. I meant, why me?"

His confusion didn't lessen, "Because I like you."

"Yeah, that's the part I can't wrap my brain around."

She glared at him when he broke into a chuckle.

"Why's it so hard to believe that I like you?"

"Because you're," She paused to make a vague hand motion, "_You_. You're full of positive energy, you love to have fun and laugh. And I'm _me_," she guestured to herself, "I'm dark, creepy, boring, and not fun."

He grimmiced at her discription of herself.

"Raven, that's not how I see you at all," he leaned forward in his chair and looked her in the eye to make sure he held her attintion, "When we first meet. I thought you were just some shy mysterious girl that was trapped in her own shell. I thought that I could tear down that shell and pull you out to show you how to have fun, to be care free and to laugh for a change."

"Beast Boy," she said looking away in saddness, "You know that I can't."

"Yeah, I do know that now. It took me awhile but I realised that you're more like a tortoise."

She turned her head to regard him skeptically.

He chuckled before continuing, "A tortoise's shell if a form of protection but if you rip thier shell off they'll die. They can't live without it. It's apart of them," He gave her a smile and rolled closer to her, so that his right knee slide between hers and his left rested beside her right knee, "But even tortoises can peak out of there shells when they need too. And, I know you can too. I've seen you do it," he said as he slowly reached out and pulled her hood back gently.

"You're not dark and unfeeling. I know you care about all of us and I know you have to work at suppressing you're emotions but that dosen't mean you don't have them. I love those rare moments when we get to see you smile or when we all sit down to have pizza and I can just tell that you enjoy hanging around us, even if you don't act like it. And, I'm happy with that."

She stared at him. Her eyes were shining with a multitude of emotion that she was trying hard to surpress. Did he realy think that about her? He understood and liked her even with her faults. Dispit not being able to be completely care free for him. Did he really understand that she couldn't abandon her control?

Holy Mother of Azar, why was her heart beating so fast. She could feel her powers reacting to the slur of emotions and fought to keep it contained. It surfaced just enough to flip a few pages of his comics before she pushed them back down. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to try and calm her racing mind.

"I don't know if I can do this," she said, cracking open an eye to look at him, "I don't even know what I'm feeling right now. It's too coatic."

"It's ok. I can give you time to process this. And it'll be ok if you don't feel the same. As long as I get to see you poke your head out to smile every now and then, I'd be happy with just being friends."

She could see that he understood that this new mind blowing information was overwalming her. She really appreciated his patience on the matter and the last thing she wanted to do was break his heart. That thought alone made hers constrict painfully.

"Thank you, and I want you to know that our friendship means everything to me. You guy's are the only family I've ever had and if it turns out that I don't like you in the same way you like me then the problem is me and not you," she stopped with a grimmace. "That sounded so cliche."

Beast Boy snorted back a humoured chuckle, "I wasn't gonna say anything."

She knocked his knee playfully with hers as she rolled her eyes, "I just meant that there's nothing wrong with you. You're attractive, you have a good heart, and yes, even funny when you're not trying so hard." He grinned at her and she couldn't help but smile back.

"You really think I'm funny?" He asked with hopeful innocence shining in his eyes.

"You have your moments." She begrudgingly admitted, folding her arms.

"And," he hesitated, looking away in embaresment. "Do you really think that this," he motioned to his ear with one hand before removing his glove and holding it out infront of him to examine, "is attractive?"

She looked at him with an automatic response of 'it's not what's on the outside that counts,' on her tongue before she stopped and really looked at him. From his unruly forest green lockes, to the slightly poined ears that reminded her of the elvish people in her fantasy books, to the boyish features of his face, to his eyes that were looking everywhere but at her but were still so bright that they'd light a room, to his torso that was clad in a uniform so tight you could see every lining of his toned mucles, to his hand that was now resting on his knee, finger tapping nervously with nails that where slightly sharper then average.

"Yes," she said, surprising them both. Their eyes looked and it was her turn to feel embaresment.

She closed her eyes and willed the emotion away with a deep breath. So, she found him attractive. No reason for embaresment.

"Really?" She heard him ask skeptically and her eyes snapped open to meet his.

"Yes," she repeated. This time with more confidence. "The ears and fangs are a very attractive feature and," she said, unfolding her arms to grab his ungloved hand. She held it up to slide hers flat against his. His hands were slightly bigger but they matched hers palm to palm and finger to finger. "so you're green. I'm practaclly ashen. They're just skin tones and anyone who does not see that dosen't deserve you."

He looked at her, his eyes shining and affection rolling off of him in waves. She could tell by the softness in his eyes and the way they darted to her lips as he bit the corner of his, that he wanted to kiss her and it was the fact that she wasn't opposed to the idea that had her eyes widening in shock. Her control slipped for a moment, blowing the bulb of his desk lamp before she could rein them in.

"Oh," So thats why her heart was beating so fast earlier and why it's racing again now. That's why her skin is tingiling against his. That's why she feels so comfortable with him so close and that the thought of his heart braking broke hers too.

"Oh?" He asked, pulling away his hand and rollong back a few inches to give her space.

She frownd at the loss of contact and stared down at her empty hand. His had been very warm against hers and now they felt entirely too cold. "Yeah," she answered, "Oh."

"Uh, was that a good 'oh' or a bad 'oh'?" He asked, fidgeting hastily to put his glove back on.

She reached out a hand to stop him, knocking his glove away and pulling his hand so that he rolled back to her. His knees sliding back into place between hers. "That was an, 'I think I might like you too, oh'," she said holding his hand and smiling at him shyly.

"Oh," he said in surprise as his eyes lit up again.

"Yeah but," she glanced wearily at his his blown desk lamp, "we'll have to take things slow. Holding hands and going out is a good first step but don't freak out if I blow something up or have to disappear. It's not something bad that you've done I just need time to prosses and control my powers if you ignite a stong emotion."

She looked down at there joint hands. She was holding his with the opposite as before. It was like they were in a grip to shake hands but the hold was lose. She ran her thumb over the knuckle of his softly, "I understand if you don't want to deal with-"

"No!" He said in mild panic, cutting her off. "I mean, yes," he growled at himself and shook his head in frustration. "Ugh, I _mean_ it is something I can deal with. It's something I want."

He gripped her hand tighter. "What part of 'I like you.' don't you understand?" He asked with a chuckle.

She glared at him, but didn't let go of his hand, "I'm still trying to wrap my brain around this whole thing so give me a brake."

He chuckled again. "Raven, I like you. . . like alot. I've never liked anyone this much before and I want this to work. I want _us_ to work. I want to be with you no matter what it takes. I'll do anything for you Rae."

Her heart fluttered and she had to close her eyes and rein in her powers once again. She let out a breath and cracked one eye open, "How about we start with that pizza?"

"Yes!" He shouted and stood up with enough force to send his chair rolling back into his desk. "But if you want, we can order in and watch a movie instead." He said as he pulled her too her feet and lead her out his door.

"That way, you can get used to us being an 'us' _alone_ and not in a crowded place."

"That sounds wonderful but I have one condition."

He paused in his step to arch a brow at her quizzically.

"We have to keep holding hands," she said fixing the position of their hands to intertwin their figures together.

His eyes sparkled with a mirthful grin, "Anything for you babe."

She groaned, "Ok two conditions. Never call me that again."

He laughed, "Oh, come on."

Their conversation drifted down the hall has they turned a corner, unaware of the cybernetic teen with a satellite enhanced ear, hiding down the opposite side of the hall, who was now grinning like an idiot.

* * *

"OK BB, you can do this," Beast Boy said as he gave his mirror self a look of determination, "Just knock on her door and ask her out to a nice dinner."

"Dude, that's a horrable idea. What if she dosen't wanna do anything fancy?" His determination faltered a moment before returning. "Then we can have a moonlit picnic, or a walk on the beach, or anything!" He waved his hands around in frustration.

"Seriously, what's the worst that could happen?" He frowned at his reflection in the mirror.

"She could toss you out the window, send you to another dimension, squish you like a bug,"

"Gyahh," the changling jumped at the intruding voice, turning in midair and bracing himself against the sink.

He locked eyes with a very amussed half robot.

"Dude!" He paused, "Woah, deja vu."

Cyborge laughed, "Didn't I tell you that the next time you try and give yourself a pep talk in the mirrior, you might wanna shut the bathroom door."

Beast Boy folded his arms in a huff, "Yeah, yeah you eavesdropper."

"Come on man, I'm just mesin' with you," he ruffled the changlings forest green hair.

"Yeah, I know," Beast Boy chuckled and swat his hand away.

"Now, come on," Cyborg started as he dragged him out of bathroom by his shoulder, "Rob and Star are out for a few more hours and Rae-Rae his all alone in the common room. Now is the perfect time to ask her out so you can pop the question."

He frowned as the half robotic man ushered him down the hall. "But, what if she says no?"

"Then you wait and ask her again. You guys have been together for four years. If she's not ready by now then keep asking until she _is_ ready."

He grinned as they came to a stop by the main common doors, "Yeah you're right, no regrets." He said, oppening the doors and walking through.

"Oh," he popped his head back out the otherside, "and thanks Cy," he said sincerely.

"No problem string bean," he ruffled his hair affectionately. "Someone has to motivate you with a swift kick in the can every now and then. Now go get your girl." He pushed his head out the door way with a chuckle.

Once the doors were firmly shut and he was sure the changling wouldn't come back out, a sound enhancing satellite popped out of his cybernetic ear. He grinned and leaned closer to the door.

* * *

This is just a little one shot I cooked up. I thought about dumping it in Tidal Wave, my little one shot dump area, but since I haven't been in there to edit anything in a while I decided to just post it alone. I always struggle with endings but I kinda liked this one so here it is. I hope you enjoy it and I apologize for any spelling and grammatical errors. I suck at that stuff.


End file.
